Belfast Zoo is asking the public to help name a baby giant anteater born just before Christmas.

Parents Kara and Pancho and the team at the visitor attraction in north Belfast welcomed the little one on December 22.

It is now starting to take its first steps outside.

The giant anteater is the biggest of the species and can grow up to seven feet long.

There are only 200 giant anteaters in zoos around the world, and Pancho and Kara are the only breeding pair of the endangered south American mammals in Ireland.

Pancho arrived in Belfast from Germany's Duisburg Zoo in 2012, and was joined by Kara from Olomouc Zoo in the Czech Republic last February, as part of the European breeding programme.

Zoo curator Alyn Cairns said: "Kara is a fantastic mum and for the first six months she will carry the pup on her back nearly all the time.

"While great camouflage from predators, it also makes it difficult for the keepers to get a good look at the infant to find out whether it is male or female. We don't want to disrupt the pair at this stage.

"Even though we don't know what sex the pup is, the team have come up with some names and we would love your help to pick one."

There are 10 names - five girls and five boys - on the shortlist.

Does the new arrival look like a Dante, Sancho, Shiloh, Enrico, Marco, Sasha, Calisto, Luzia, Chica or Zira?